Windsor Nursery School

Windsor Nursery School Inspection report

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104283 Unique Reference Number Wolverhampton Local Authority 286898 Inspection number 20 March 2007 Inspection date Barbara Crane Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Nursery Type of school Maintained School category 3 °4 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 72 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Alan Smith Chair Angela Marshall Headteacher 3 December 2001 Date of previous school inspection Windsor Road School address Off Parkfield Road Wolverhampton WV4 6EL

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01902 558128 Telephone number 01902 558128 Fax number

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3 °4 Age group 20 March 2007 Inspection date 286898 Inspection number .

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This Nursery serves an area in which many families face challenging circumstances. Five children attend full-time. Children's attainment on entry is well below average. There is a wide mix of ethnic groups represented and about a third of the children are at an early stage of acquiring English as an additional language. About a fifth of the children have learning difficulties.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Windsor Nursery School, 20 March 2007

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Grade: 1

This is an outstanding Nursery school. It provides a top-quality start to children's education and sets them up very well for the future. The happy atmosphere at the start of the sessions sets the tone for what follows. The friendly greeting given by the staff to the children and their parents ensures that everyone feels at ease. One parent wrote: 'When my husband drops our child off, he is always ten minutes late getting home because he gets involved in the activities'. Children start organising themselves straight after their arrival by self-registering and then eagerly choose activities that interest them. Their outstanding personal development and well-being spring from the high quality care given to them by the staff. The excellent guidance and support for each child enables them to feel secure and blossom. Children eat and drink healthily and are physically active. They develop very positive attitudes to learning and take

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Grade: 1

pride in their achievements. Standards are broadly average by the time children leave to go to their next school. Their achievement is outstanding, as is their progress. This is because of outstanding teaching that is sensitive and responsive to each child's needs. Precise observations of what children have achieved are used very well to plan what they need to do next to further their learning. Children with learning difficulties benefit from very well organised support and so their progress matches that of others. Those who are at an early stage of acquiring English as an additional language also receive high quality teaching that boosts their progress. An excellent curriculum stimulates children's interest and they learn through a range of rich first-hand experiences. The changing objects, lights, reflections, sounds and colours in the environment prompt children to explore new things. Resources are easily to hand so that children can direct their own learning. Adults

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Grade: 1

follow children's interests and ideas so that children find learning new things exciting. The recent emphasis on improving children's progress in mathematical development has paid dividends in most aspects of their learning. A few opportunities are still missed to develop children's ability to calculate in everyday activities, consequently children's progress in this aspect is slightly slower. Outstanding leadership and management are at the centre of the Nursery's success in making sure that all children are fully included and achieve their potential. The headteacher's passion to provide the very best for every child filters through to every aspect of the staff's work. Adults work together as a highly effective team and there is excellent capacity to further improve. The school has a very strong partnership with parents and other agencies to promote children's well-being.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that teaching provides more opportunities for children to calculate in everyday situations.

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Grade: 1

Children make excellent progress from a well below average starting point. By the time they leave to join Reception classes at other schools, most have gained sufficient ground to reach the expectations for their age. This prepares them very well for their future learning because they have a solid platform of basic skills in literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT). Additionally, their progress in personal, social and emotional 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Windsor Nursery School, 20 March 2007 development is extremely rapid, so that they have confidence to try out new things for themselves. Using numbers in practical contexts and making logical deductions about numbers is a slightly weaker aspect in children's progress because they lack some chances to do this on an everyday basis. All groups of children, including those with learning difficulties or those who are learning English as an additional language, make excellent progress because of the

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Grade: 1

early intervention by staff to overcome any problems.

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Grade: 1

Children are very well prepared for the future. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Relationships between children of different ethnic backgrounds are excellent and they show much affection and trust in the staff. These factors go a long way to promoting children's great enjoyment of their time at Nursery and their good attendance. Children busily explore the world around them because there is so much to stimulate their interest. They are happy and confident and quickly see the advantages of working together. One child, for example, set about creating a scene from stones and model animals at the start of session and welcomed others who brought fresh ideas as they joined in the activity. Children's behaviour is excellent and they listen carefully to guidance from adults. They show a very good sense of self-reliance and independence but readily seek help if they need it. They decide when

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Grade: 1

they are ready for the healthy snacks and drinks that are available and eat these together in a relaxed and sociable manner. Those who stay all day relish the good quality food at lunchtime. Children share their views readily to help the staff improve the school community, for example in putting forward ideas for the role-play area.

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Grade: 1

The talented and committed staff enjoy their work. All adults adopt an encouraging optimistic approach and this motivates children to persevere. The staff appreciate children's efforts and use praise wisely so the children try even harder. Adults know when individuals are ready to be taught new things because of their meticulous observations of each child's progress. The staff are skilled at recognising the variations in development from child to child and adapt their questioning and the point at which they intervene accordingly. This ensures that children of all capabilities do extremely well. Bilingual teaching enables children to build on experiences using their home language and sensitively develops children's use of English. Resources are readily to hand for the children so that they can make choices and explore at their own pace. Adults use ICT very effectively to engage children's interest. Children learn

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Grade: 1

about the importance of friendship because the staff plan many opportunities for them to work together.

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Grade: 1

The learning spaces are vibrant and inviting, with plenty of exciting things to explore. The practically-based activities help children learn through all of their senses. Children's creativity is enhanced through their easy access to good quality resources and the freedom given to them to express their ideas indoors and outdoors. Visitors help to broaden children's understanding 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Windsor Nursery School, 20 March 2007 of different cultures. Most recently, for example, children learned about Bhangra music and dancing and children enjoyed having their parents and younger brothers and sisters from the 'Stay and Play' group join in with them. The well-thought-out routines and rhythms of the day ensure that children feel secure and develop self-reliance. The curriculum strikes a successful balance between what children want to do and what they need to do to make rapid progress in learning. There are a few times when planning for children to develop skills in calculation

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Grade: 1

are not as tightly planned as they should be to enable children to do their very best.

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Grade: 1

Swift support from the staff ensures that children happily approach adults if they have problems. The staff place a high priority on children's safety and well-being and procedures for safeguarding children are very secure. Parents are made very welcome. The staff work very well with parents and share important information that helps them to provide the correct support and enables children to feel secure. Parents say that they appreciate the flexible arrangements for settling in and that these give enough time for children to feel secure in their new environment. Well-organised support for children with particular needs ensures their excellent progress. Advice from outside agencies, such as health services, is used very effectively. Parents gain a clear idea of their children's progress and the targets that are being aimed for through excellent channels of communication with the staff.

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Grade: 1

The school has sustained its effectiveness and its high reputation amongst parents because of outstanding leadership and management. The high morale of the staff reflects the pleasure that they get from their work. Excellent leadership by the headteacher inspires them to do their best and provides them with the skills and tools to do it. The staff happily share their expertise with the many visitors who come to see the excellent practice in the school. Self-evaluation is accurate because the school looks closely both at what it is doing well and where any improvement is needed. Checks on teaching and learning, as well as data from assessments of children's progress, are used very effectively to pinpoint what needs to improve. This has led to rapid improvement in nearly all aspects of children's mathematical development, an area that has formed the school's most recent priority. Governors provide good support and are developing their role in asking questions

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Grade: 1

to help the school reflect on its performance. The views of parents are frequently sought and are used to bring about changes. Strong partnerships with outside agencies, such as social and health services mean that advice is gained quickly and used to benefit children's well-being, as well as that of their families. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Windsor Nursery School, 20 March 2007 .

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Grade: 1

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Windsor Nursery School, 20 March 2007

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 1 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

1 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Windsor Nursery School, 20 March 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Windsor Nursery School, 20 March 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for helping me with my work when I came to see you. I can see why you come into the Nursery so cheerfully at the start of sessions and why your parents are so happy with your school. It is a brilliant place for you and I am glad that you enjoy it so much. This is what I found out about your Nursery. • You are doing really well in your work and everyone gets on well together to make the Nursery a lovely place to make friends. • The grown-ups are very good at helping you to do your best and they make learning fun for you. • There are so many exciting things for you to do! I could see how much you liked working in the sensory room. • You eat and drink the right things to keep you healthy, behave really sensibly and help each other. Well done! • Everyone is very kind and takes very good care of you so that you are safe and happy. • The grown-ups put you first and work very hard to get the best for you. They are very proud

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

of the way you all work and learn together. I have asked the grown-ups to do just one thing to make your Nursery even better. You are learning all about numbers. Sometimes you need a few more chances to use these in your activities. When you are counting things, for example, you might work out what would happen if you added one or two more things, or took them away. I am sure you will enjoy this and be very good at it. You are getting a great start in learning. Keep enjoying it! 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Windsor Nursery School, 20 March 2007

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